Hello 2024

 

"Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you’ve got." — Jim Rohn

 

It’s been over a year since I wrote a life update, and 2023 was a big turning point for me. Many things were happening simultaneously, and I barely had time for myself. There were ups and downs, so I will summarize all the highlights and try not to make a lengthy post, so bear with me.

Also, expect me to make consecutive posts after this one to catch up with stuff I missed sharing on my website. Let’s get into it!

 

 

I started last year disappointed and needed more motivation after the holidays due to my ex-client not paying me in full as we agreed upon before I started working for her. I prefer not to disclose what transpired in detail, but I dislike it when I am disturbed non-stop during the hours I have to finish a design as it ruins my creativity, and she says mean stuff to other folks on the team. It automatically means she did the same behind my back, which was very unprofessional.

Money wasn’t the only problem, given that I agreed on minimal pay and worked upward as I got more responsibilities. The first couple weeks were fine, but then she didn’t release my income in the guise of observing, which I shrugged off and hoped I would get it in full before the New Year. Oh boy, I was wrong! She intended not to release the full pay and didn’t disclose when I would get it. We already talked about me getting weekly pay initially, and the worst thing was she wanted me to do unpaid extra stuff, and I only did part-time work for her. Talk about overkill. I was supposed to get multiple projects, but she ate my time and gave me anxiety to not even check my emails frequently.

 

 

I made my stand and told her my working hours so that I would only do the designs in my own time and quietly. It was very chill work, requiring only a couple of hours in a single day. My work for her is only once or twice a week, yet she disturbs me daily, which prevents me from getting other projects. Around this time, I had already noticed the red flags of a toxic client, and I didn’t let her manipulate me. No wonder the first two designers before me had to quit the first week, and I was too naive. She realized I wouldn’t let her overwork and underpay me, so she closed our contract but only paid me a quarter of my supposed full pay. I didn’t even bother to reply to her last email since I wanted to remain professional.

START OF SOMETHING NEW

After that ex-client, I was determined to be thorough about contracts since I had a bad experience before her, and it was a project I didn’t even get paid for. I do not want to feel sorry for myself and want to make changes to prevent it from happening again. I researched and thoroughly created contracts that would benefit me and the person who would like my services.

Many things crossed my mind as I was polishing stuff before I started accepting projects again. I realized that I was wasting my effort, energy, and talent on others who don’t appreciate the work I do instead of doing stuff that would help more people while earning a stable income at the same time.

 

I wanted to start something that would benefit me in the long run and solve some problems in the market to help many people, so I told my mom about my interest in starting a Publishing Business.

A little backstory: My mom is in the academe and has decades of experience in the field. I won’t elaborate on her educational background and recognitions because there are too many to mention. In 2011, she started her school specializing in early childhood, special education, and one-on-one tutorials. During the pandemic and the lack of students, she got requests to create educational materials and earned quite some. She always wanted me to help her, but I wasn’t interested in education since I always assumed I had to be a teacher like her, and my passion was in the creative field.

 

My mom was thrilled and beyond happy because I was the one who brought up the idea. It was one of her prayers that someone in her children would take over for the legacy she had built up ever since she was 19. Oh yes, she started her career very young, and the fire is still in there. It keeps burning. I got my creativity from my mom because she’s always into arts and crafts. She even wanted to be an architect at one point, but due to a lack of funds when she was younger, she had no choice but to get an education degree. However, her talent flourished more as a teacher.

So yeah, we came up with our business name at the end of January 2023, and I have begun creating products by next month.

THE GRIND

 

When we officially embarked on our new journey, I knew I had to focus and avoid distractions. It wasn’t that hard for me because I had a head start since November 2022, and I vowed to sacrifice some years and other aspects of my life to focus entirely on my career and goals.

It was a challenging year because, from the start, we had to do a lot of research and figure out how our business would become once we launched. We also needed the capital to purchase the business's equipment or machinery, raw materials, and others. Only by God’s provision did we make it somehow, and He provided our needs and used people to sustain our startup.

There were constant doubts from some in our family who didn’t acknowledge or support our business venture and said many negative things. Honestly, it only made me, my mom, and my uncle (he became part of our team) more eager.

Some drawbacks happened, and some caused considerable strife in the family. I thank the Lord for resolving it and distancing the said person in our life so we can finally start something. I am grateful to my Kuya Boyet and his wife, Ate Paula because they always support us — including my Tita Ping, Helen, and Ging. We will never forget their kindness; in time, we will return it in more excellent value through God’s grace.

ADVANCED BLESSINGS

When my Tita Ping (a teacher and a librarian) and his family spent vacation last summer, she ordered our products for their school in Holbrook, Arizona. My mom and I were so happy that we could introduce our products. Some of them still needed editing, so technically, they received the prototypes. We gained quite some out of it, which we used further for our business.

Surprisingly, she ordered another batch of the new products she didn’t get on the first order when she returned from the United States last October — also, my Kuya Boyet and Ate Paula ordered products for Christmas presents, so another income for us.

I also gave presents to my godchildren so they can experience our premium yet quality products before we introduce them to the public. Some are still pending, and I hope to send them soon. It helps introduce customers to our business when there are positive reviews on social media.

Speaking of socials, we had our soft launch last December 28, and I started posting for people to anticipate our official launch, hopefully this January.

WHAT’S UP WITH ME

Let’s talk about me. I am unsure where to start, but as of this writing, I’ve been sick since after Christmas. My terrible cough is still present, but it’s less than before. I had a fever right around New Year, and I was traumatized even to sleep because it made me cough more. Two days ago, I experienced a stiff neck for the first time in my life from sleeping straight without a pillow, and I thought I was going to die when I woke up from excruciating pain. I am regularly taking medication, and I pray that the Lord will heal me so I can finally do heavy work for the business.

Being sick is a sign that I should take a step back and not overwork myself because, eventually, I will just be in terrible shape and health. For the past year, I can’t remember how many times I ended up vomiting from taking too much caffeine and working 18 hours straight. I also got sick multiple times due to overfatigue. I know I shouldn’t be working more than needed, but I have many things to do.

I have intrusive thoughts lately, and writing helps me unload everything. I am not losing faith in God and know that things go according to His plan, so I am not worried if I have already served my purpose or if He still has plans for me and pursue the ministries I want to do for Him in the future.

Supposedly, I was going to finish the photo and video shoot of our products after the New Year, but then I got sick. I am not allowed to get sweaty, and photography lights make me sweat non-stop. I couldn’t stay too long in front of the screen and only managed to do minimal business stuff for social media. What’s worse is that my PC acted up a few days ago, and I couldn’t repair my disk despite trying for hours and resorting to formatting. I still thank God because I thought I had hardware issues, and I can’t afford an upgrade as of this moment.

I dislike being unproductive and having delays, but what can I do? I believe in the Lord and his perfect timing, and I should be thankful even during tribulations because it is His will, and all things work together for good (Romans 8:28).

The best thing that ever happened to me was finding my way back to God like a lost sheep and realizing that I am a sinner saved by grace. I am thankful because all these years, He never left me, and despite doing sinful things, I could still feel His guidance and wanted me to surrender myself to Him.

I still feel sad and lonely sometimes, not because I chose to isolate myself to focus on my work but because I have no time even for myself. I miss romanticizing the small things that make me happy daily, like managing to do both day and night skincare routines, doing my hair, exercising, cooking, and so forth. It will be enough for me to do just those and not ask for more. I also miss gaming with my online friends, but it’s hard to escape peer pressure, and it’ll become a distraction. Of course, I want to go shopping, visit museums and fairs, travel, and spend time with friends again, but it is a luxury.

What I would love the most is to be with someone with whom I can share all my stuff and achievements. I guess it’s biological, but I’ve been thinking of becoming a wife and a mom someday. I preferred not soon but around the mid to late thirties. It is also my mom’s prayer that God will give me a Christian man who will love and care for me for the rest of my life. I accept whatever His will is, whether single blessedness or fulfilling my duty as a woman.

 

Seriously though, I had already moved on from my previous relationship, and I miss being loved by a man. I’ve been talking to a guy for almost a year now, and I applaud his perseverance when it comes to me. We both supported each other and shared personal stuff we couldn’t talk about with others, but I declined when he asked me if I had the time for him or if we could try to be in a relationship. It was tough because of my feelings for him, but I couldn’t. I wanted to. I appreciated it when he understood my situation and kept in contact. I would like to put more effort this year once I have the time and if he is the one God wants for me, or I would meet someone else.

CONCLUSION

This year, my prayers are for my family's good health, growth in my spiritual life, success in our business endeavor, financial freedom, progress in my career, more time for myself, resuming my education, rekindling friendships, and falling in love with the right person.

 

{DISCLAIMER: Editorial photo obtained via Unsplash and I don't own any of the gifs}